The Ninja Reader

I must admit, prior to a few months ago, I would not have appreciated this book like I did. Call it chance (or maybe I pick up books that appeal to whatever I'm studying at the moment) I had a few lectures on geo-politics, and economics of conflict and war, and so I was able to understand exactly what this book was about.

On the other hand, I was too young to remember the conflict in the former Yugoslavia - the only thing I can say for certain is that one day the map we had in my primary school was different and the teachers constantly corrected our usage of terms. The war never reached Bulgaria, not in a way I can remember, (and, as a tyke, my priorities were obviously skewed.) 

What I can say is that Val McDermid writes one helluva compelling story, weaving history, geopolitics, and a decades-long vendetta in such a way, I plowed through this book in no time. (And considering it takes me weeks to finish reading anything these days, it's an improvement.) The characters are all interesting, their motivation as personal as it is political. For a politics student (or a history buff, or both) this is an absolute treat.

It's a third book of a series, but it can be read on its own (case in point: it's my first book by Val McDermid.) Be warned though - that ending! That ending!

It's like being donkey-kicked in the feels.